Wemyss joins blends market with Lord Elcho

17 September, 2012

ByHamish Smith

Wemyss Malts has launched Lord Elcho to capitalize on the global surge in interest in blended scotch whiskies.

Available in specialist whisky stores in France, Taiwan, Germany the Netherlands and the UK imminently, Lord Elcho is 15-year old blend of malt and grain whisky with an emphasis on stocks matured in sherry casks.

It has an abv of 40% and is priced at about £49.50.

William Wemyss, founder and managing director at the scotch and gin group, said: "The continued growth of scotch whisky across the world has encouraged us to launch our first entrant into the blended scotch segment."

The whisky is named after Wemyss Malts founder's 18th century ancestor, Lord Elcho, who, according to Wemyss Malts, was a fought for Bonnie Prince Charlie at the Battle of Culloden during the ill-fated Jacobite uprising in 1745.

As the story goes, Elcho was stripped of his title and lands and exiled to France, never returning to his native Scotland.

Wemyss added: "The story of my ancestor has provided us with an authentic and compelling story to build a new brand for our range."

The whisky, described as "rich, smooth and aged to perfection", follows the launch of Wemyss Malts' Darnley's View gin, a brand that commemorated the meeting of Mary Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley at the family seat of Wemyss Castle in Fife in 1565.

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Comment

I know how wierd this might seem but I often think that the opening of a new distillery is like the launch of a new submarine. It is unveiled in all its pristine glory in a blaze of publicity and fanfare.